Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has launched a scathing attack on owners of Sunrisers franchise following their decision to sign Pakistani mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed for the upcoming season of The Hundred (Sunrisers Leeds).
In a hard-hitting column, Gavaskar argued that any financial gain provided to Pakistani players indirectly funds activities that lead to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians. He has warned of a massive public boycott against IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) if the ownership does not reconsider its stance on engaging with Pakistani talent.
Sunil Gavaskar did not mince words, questioning the sensitivity of the franchise owners toward national sentiment.
“The furore created by the acquisition of a Pakistani player by the Indian owner of a franchise in The Hundred is hardly surprising. Ever since the Mumbai attacks in November 2008, Indian franchise owners have simply ignored Pakistani players for the IPL. Although belated, the realisation that the fees that they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians is making Indian entities refrain from even considering having Pakistani artistes and sportspersons,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in a column for Mid-day.
“Whether it is an Indian entity or an overseas subsidiary of the entity that is making the payment, if the owner is Indian then he or she is contributing to the Indian casualties. It’s as simple as that. Daniel Vettori, the coach of the team in The Hundred who hails from New Zealand, may not understand this simple dynamic and so may have wanted some Pakistani players in his team, but surely the owner should have had an understanding of the situation and discouraged the purchase. Is winning a tournament in a format that no other country plays in much more important than Indian lives?”
“It won’t be a surprise that for every game that this team plays, whether at home or away there will be massive demonstrations by Indian fans protesting at this hard-to-believe buying. In fact, it won’t be a surprise that despite having some of the most attractive stroke makers in their team the crowds may stay away and show their disapproval of the decision,” Gavskar added.
Controversy Explained
The row began when Sunrisers Leeds – an overseas wing of the Sun Group (owned by Kavya Maran) – picked Abrar Ahmed for £190,000 (approx. ₹2.34 crore) during player auction for The Hundred.
Abrar became the first Pakistani player signed by an Indian-owned franchise in years, breaking an informal but strict blockade maintained by Indian entities since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Following the announcement, “Sunrisers” X (formerly Twitter) handle faced such intense backlash that it was reportedly deactivated for several hours.
